Belarus Research Paper
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Belarus: a country suffering at the hands of its own authoritarian leadership
Table of Contents
Republic of Belarus’ Overview…………………………………………………………………. 3
Russia and Belarus: Friend or Foe?.............................................................................................. 4
Is Alexander Lukashenko “Europe’s Last Dictator?” …………………………………………... 5
Lukashenko: Political Control…………………………………………………………………... 5
Lukashenko: Economic Control………………………………………………………………… 6
How can Lukashenko be stopped?................................................................................................7
In Conclusion…a more peaceful Belarus……………………………………………………….. 9
Republic of Belarus’ Overview Belarus is a beautiful country nestled in the heart of Eastern Europe, surrounded by Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, and Ukraine. Belarus is “landlocked”, meaning it is completely surrounded by land and has no coastline. The CIA World Factbook states that Belarus’ size is slightly smaller than the size of Kansas (CIA World Factbook, 2010: Geography section). The climate is very cold in the winters with cool and moist summers. (CIA World Factbook, 2010: Geography section). These climate conditions are favorable for growing grains, vegetables, fruit trees and potatoes (UN, 2002, About Belarus section). There are more than 100 nationalities represented in Belarus. However, more than 75% of the entire population is native Belarusian. Living among the natives are significant numbers of Russians, Poles, and Ukrainians (UN, 2002, About Belarus section). The two official languages of Belarus are Belarusian and Russian. The religious make-up of Belarus is 80% Eastern Orthodox, with the remaining 20% a combination of Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim (CIA World Factbook, 2010: Population section). As of July 2010, Belarus’ population was 9,612,632, ranking 87 in the world (CIA World Factbook, 2010: Population section). The
Belarus: a country suffering at the hands of its own authoritarian leadership
Table of Contents
Republic of Belarus’ Overview…………………………………………………………………. 3
Russia and Belarus: Friend or Foe?.............................................................................................. 4
Is Alexander Lukashenko “Europe’s Last Dictator?” …………………………………………... 5
Lukashenko: Political Control…………………………………………………………………... 5
Lukashenko: Economic Control………………………………………………………………… 6
How can Lukashenko be stopped?................................................................................................7
In Conclusion…a more peaceful Belarus……………………………………………………….. 9
Republic of Belarus’ Overview Belarus is a beautiful country nestled in the heart of Eastern Europe, surrounded by Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, and Ukraine. Belarus is “landlocked”, meaning it is completely surrounded by land and has no coastline. The CIA World Factbook states that Belarus’ size is slightly smaller than the size of Kansas (CIA World Factbook, 2010: Geography section). The climate is very cold in the winters with cool and moist summers. (CIA World Factbook, 2010: Geography section). These climate conditions are favorable for growing grains, vegetables, fruit trees and potatoes (UN, 2002, About Belarus section). There are more than 100 nationalities represented in Belarus. However, more than 75% of the entire population is native Belarusian. Living among the natives are significant numbers of Russians, Poles, and Ukrainians (UN, 2002, About Belarus section). The two official languages of Belarus are Belarusian and Russian. The religious make-up of Belarus is 80% Eastern Orthodox, with the remaining 20% a combination of Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim (CIA World Factbook, 2010: Population section). As of July 2010, Belarus’ population was 9,612,632, ranking 87 in the world (CIA World Factbook, 2010: Population section). The
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